Knee operation for Barcelona captain Carles Puyol

The 34-year-old Puyol has suffered knee problems for over a year and missed last summer’s European Championships, which were won by Spain.

He was not included in the Spain squad named by coach, Vicente del Bosque this Friday for the World Cup qualifying matches to be played against Finland and France slated for March 22 and 26.

Del Bosque explained that Puyol had told him he had a ‘physical problem’ and would not be able to play in the two vital matches.

The operation means that Puyol will miss his side’s Champions League quarter-final tie against Paris Saint Germain, which was drawn this Friday and it is possible that he could miss the rest of the season.

Although the loss of the FC Barcelona captain is bound to be felt by the rest of the team, it has come at a moment when Barca can possibly best withstand the loss of its captain.

Central defender, Marc Bartra was given the all-clear to play again this week after missing several weeks through injury, while Eric Abidal has been training with the first team squad for over a month now since recovering from a liver transplant operation.

Bartra and perhaps Abidal will be able to play a role in the run in to the end of the season, while time will tell what happens to the inspirational Puyol.

Barca’s first game without Puyol is this Sunday’s home match against Rayo Vallecano in the Camp Nou Stadium.

Read more :

Li Na, Jelena Jankovic out of Paris OpenLi Na and Jelena Jankovic have both retired from the Paris Open with injuries.
French Open champion Na withdrew while trailing Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova 7-6 (7/5), 3-2 in their round-on...

PH to see action in Rugby World Cup 7The Volcanoes, under American coach Al Caravelli, are set to compete in the 2013 Rugby World Cup Seven slated on June 28 to 30.
Caravelli told reporters during a press conference in Pasay ...

UPHSD Altas commences NCAA campaignLAST year’s semifinalist University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Altas will start their campaign in the 89th National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball tournament when the...

Deadly Djokovic batters Berdych to reach semisMELBOURNE - Serbian superman Novak Djokovic remained firmly on course for a third straight Australian Open title on Tuesday after dismantling Tomas Berdych in four sets to set up a last fou...

Anne Keothavong targets Olympic GamesGreat Britain's number two Anne Keothavong has set herself the target of qualifying for the Olympic Games in London next year.
The 28-year-old is currently ranked number 72 in the world bu...